Improvement in potato-diggers



To all whom 'it mary concern: i

bar.

aient chiite-r.

WILLIAM GREEN, orr HOLLY,l MIoHfIeAN.

Letters Patent No. 97,630, dated-December 7, 1869; antedated Novem-ber 27,1869.

IMPROTV'BMENT IN POTATO-DIG-G-ERS.

i i The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same Beit known that I,' WILLIAM GREEN, of Holly, in

`the county of Oakland, and State of Michigan, have invented anew and improved Potato-Digger; and I do hereby declare that the following is `a full, clear, and

' exact description of the construction and operation of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part `of this specification, in which j i Figure 1 is a section through line x sr, g. 2. Figure 2 is a top view. i

This'inveutiou relates to a `frame mounted upon two lwheels, the central part of the frame being bent downward fromthe axle, and the rear part sustaining the `.digging and separating-apparatus.

AThe invention consist iu a series of narrow spades, projecting from the front side o'f the aforesaid appai ratus, each spade risingabove' and being cui-ved over upon one of the conveying-bars, by Whichthe vines are carriedy to the` rear; also, in a device for pressing potato-tops inward -and away i'om the wheels and sides of theapparatus; also, in providing the conveying-bars with `longituclinal slots' and recessesin their forward ends and under sides, for the` reception of' certain projections on the upper side of the front bar of by means of which said bars are reried `straight back again, the rearmost portion supporting the digging and conveying-apparatus.

`This apparatus is operated by the two wheels O C, made fast to the` axle, one on each end, from which chains lead` to smaller wheels a a, one ou each end of the shaft b, placed in the extreme rear end of the frameAA. n j i n The shaft `consists of series of reversed cranks, b' b', Sac., eachl ot which sustains the rear end of aV serrated bar, c, called, from its function, a conveying- The forward ends of the conveying-'bars rest upon the front bar d, which connects the side frames A A. The Vrevolution of the crank-Shaftb conirerts the aggregate motion of "the conveying-bars into a pushing tendency to the rearin a manner well linderstood.

The digging-apparatus consists of a series of spades, c e, Sac., supported upon studs projecting'flom the bar d, said spades rising above and curving over upon the conveying-bars, soas to deposit upon them the whole mass of earth, tops, and potatoes dug up by the spades as the apparatus is drawn along mass is shaken by the action of the bars c, the earth in a great measure falling between the bars, and the potatoes and tops being` borne to the rear, and left behind on-the ground.

'Iwo bars, e e', are pivoted at their rear ends upon the inner sides of' thefframes A A, their forward ends projecting beyond the frame, and being pointed, and

having prongs e inclined inward and backward, the office of which is to thrust the potato-tops out of the path of the wheels, and away' from the'sidesof the apparatus, that these parts may notV become clogged therewith.

The conveying-bars are slotted longitudinally, as shown at c c', &c., and' near their forward ends, and in `their under sides, they have recesses c', which receive pi11sk,p1ojectng from the upper side of the bar d, by means of which pins and recesses the bars are kept in place, and yet may b e moved to one side a little, if desire Y v The diggers may be lifted clear of the soil `by means of' a lever, l, sticking up from a bar, l', which latter has two arms at each end, by means of which it is pivoted to the frames A, and is connected with thel front bar d of the digging-apparatus by rods m m.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by, Letters Patent, is.-

1i The spades` e, iu combination with the conveying-bars c, asand for the purpose described.

2. The bars c, provided with the longitudinal slots c and the recesses fi,/in `combination with the pins k, as and for the purpose described.

l WILLIAM GREEN.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL GREEN, N. GREEN.

Lodged there, the j 

